Little Man

04.29.2011

Our youngest has been given the title of Little Man around here.  He has fit into our lives so well (in fact I am having troubles remembering exactly what life was like before he arrived) and has been a pretty darn good baby so far (knock on wood). He does, however, know how to fire up the bandwagons pretty darn well :)

I still think he is pretty cute, even with this face :)

...but...

ask me if I feel the same in another month!

Flying Solo

04.25.2011

After 2 1/2 weeks, Grandma left this morning.  I was a little nervous that there would be a massive emotional breakdown (aka sobfest) after she left...but I have to say that I shed only a couple of tears.  I am so very thankful to have a mom that was able to give up her own time and spend it with us.  She is such a kind, generous person.  I don't have adequate words to express how grateful I am for everything she has done and continues to do for me. Some of the best moments in the last couple of weeks have involved watching her interact with B - bringing me such a quiet joy and contentment.

Today was day 1 of flying solo.  I thoroughly enjoyed my day...I actually felt productive for the first time in weeks :)

Oscar, baby & I made our first trek around town (the big loop) in months...it was such a beautiful day! Poor Oscar is unconditioned to such walks these days...and when we got home, he konked out on the rug for a little nap. Love how he had to open one eye just to make sure I wasn't sneaking up on him with some atrocity such as nail clippers, lol.

Loving the unintentional details of this photo as well...the baby chair sitting on the ottoman, the basket overflowing with toys and some of B's new toys stacked beside it.  Totally captures our lives right now :) I think this is why it is sometimes nice to not worry so much about having a "perfect" pic, but rather step back and focus on capturing the everyday...these background details don't exactly add to the artistic nature of the photo, but yet capture the nuances of everyday life that we sometimes forget about in a month, a year...help us capture the memories.

Loved our first day flying solo...but can't wait to see Grandma again :)

Spring?!

I must admit that I feel a little reluctant to cheer that spring has finally arrived...after all, the last time I did that we promptly received some pretty crumby weather.

But I just have to mention how lovely (relatively speaking) the weather has been this week.  Littlest man & I have made a point to get out for at least one (sometimes two) walks a day. 

I am totally LOVING the sunshine, hearing the birds chirp, seeing hints of green in the lawn, and spending time outside. These are the hints of spring:

I sure hope spring is here to stay...

Newborn!

We (B, baby S, Grandma Jane & I) made the trek to Paper Moon Photography (in Grenfell, SK) yesterday for baby S's newborn photo shoot...

Tatum is incredibly talented and because she took pictures of both pregnancies and B when he was newborn, it only followed that we continue the tradition.

Here is the LINK to the post that showcases a few of the pictures she managed to capture.  I LOVE, love, love them.  The first brought tears to my eyes as this is often how I "see" this little man...

After being a little fussy to start, he settled in and totally rocked his shoot.  I have to say I'm pretty lucky at this point - he seems to be a great baby (knock on wood). B was hilarious, following directions to kiss his baby brother on demand (sort of) and saying "hi" to the softbox (light) continuously (I think he thought there was someone behind it).

Thanks, Tatum, for capturing the little man at this very precious and fleeting stage of his life.  We will treasure these images always :)

I Want to Remember...

04.18.2011

Today was one of those days with lots of little "moments"...
Moments I didn't manage to catch on camera & moments that I did.
It was a day that left me thinking "I hope I always remember this".

I want to remember B coming home from daycare (after Grandma had picked him up) and marching straight in the door, peeking around the entryway wall and giving the biggest smile and wave just for his baby brother (who was basking in the sun in his bouncy chair).

I want to remember the huge smile that lights up his face with his arms reaching towards me as he runs to give me a hello kiss. {sigh} Melts my heart.

I want to remember how he goes directly to the kitchen and reaches up to the cabinet above the fridge for "fruit snacks"...and that when Grandma goes to indulge this whim, he climbs right up on the stool to "help".

I want to remember how much he truly loves his Grandma, and how much giggling and laughter I've heard from the two of them in the last week. It just makes my heart and soul smile.

I want to remember how much he desires to play outside...so much so that he escaped out the doggie-door barefoot. When retrieved by Grandma and told that he needs shoes on to go outside, I want to remember how he promptly slipped his feet into his dad's shoes...and then made an attempt to head back outside.

I want to remember little man's chubby little cheeks and hair brushed to a mohawk-like point.  I feel like I am cherishing this newborn stage more than I ever did the first time around.

I want to remember how peaceful the day felt without the two-legged tornado...just baby, Momma & Grandma hanging out all day :)

I want to remember watching the giant snowflakes gently float to the ground.  Even though I was thinking "you've got to be kidding me...it is snowing AGAIN!" I was still able to appreciate the beauty of the soft snowfall.

I want to remember how tired I am feeling these days, even though I am accomplishing not much at all...

I want to remember the happiness that hung over my head all day like a halo.

Happy Monday!
What do you want to remember?

Blessed.

As you know, we recently added to our family.  A new baby boy.

He was born by scheduled c-section (after having an emergency c-section with B) and hurting my pelvis (which ruled out trying a vbac this time around).

I have to admit I was dreading everything about the c-section. I didn't want to be in pain, didn't want to be limited for 6 weeks in my mobility, just didn't want to endure all that comes with major abdominal surgery. Even as I was walked into the OR & was prepped for surgery, I was thinking to myself "I wish I could be anywhere but here, I wish I could do anything not to have to do this..." But the procedure progressed (it was a little too late at that point for any other option). It is such a surreal experience to lay there and know exactly what is happening (due to my medical background) and to feel them push & pull & tug at you, but not feel the pain.  I remember thinking right before they were to pull baby out that I would be extremely surprised if they said "its a girl"...somehow I just had a feeling this baby was a boy.  Sure enough, a few seconds later that is what I heard.

Those words brought tears to my eyes.  I think that alarmed my husband, as he immediately asked me what was wrong.  I was almost speechless...all I could say was "it is just so awesome"...in that moment all my concerns & worries about the c-section ceased to exist.  In that moment I was so unbelievably happy!

A part of me thought a girl might be nice - to know how raising a girl & raising a boy would be different, how fun it would be to dress up a little girl...but deep down, I really did want a little brother for B - especially since they would be so close in age (but don't get me wrong - I would have been absolutely thrilled with either...but having a boy made me so excited for B).

I was so worried that B would be jealous...that he would want nothing to do with baby...that he would think his world had come to an end...
But I worried for nothing.
The moment that solidified all of this for me was caught in the snap below...

To me, this embodies all I was hoping for with two brothers.  B was totally enamoured with the new little baby...couldn't wait to hold him in his arms and give him hugs and kisses.  I just love the emotion in his expression. I love the symbolism of all the helping hands. I love the connection that already has formed between these two. It brings tears to my eyes.  I think it always will. I am a mom to two boys. I love these two little men with all my heart.

I am so blessed. So, so blessed.

Introducing...

We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Day clan...

Sawyer Jackson McLaren Day! He was born Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 at 8:16 am.  He weighed exactly the same as his big brother - 8 lbs & 13 oz and measured 20.5" long.  Consensus seems to be he looks alot like big bro at this stage, although he has alot more hair.  We sure think he is cute, but we are a bit biased :)

Tie or Posies?

So as this posts, babe #2 is on his/her way.

Although I really thought I wanted to know @ 20 weeks whether this would be a boy or a girl, I couldn't bring myself to ask...I guess deep down or subconsciously I feel it is just one of those things "meant" to be a surprise (at least for me).

Naturally, as today approached, I thought about it more & more (and am secretly glad that I didn't find out - oh boy, the shopping I would have done - yikes!) and decided I needed to find a "gender neutral" outfit to bring babe home from the hospital in. I came home from an appointment one day with a brown polka-dot blanket and some coordinating receiving blankets as I just couldn't commit to any outfits. I thought I had done a great job with selecting something gender neutral (which I have a notoriously bad track record with, by the way) and got an emphatic "those are NOT neutral colours, Jana...they are obviously BOY colours".
I really liked the fabric, though (I guess I'm just more drawn to "boy" colours sometimes) so decided to "make it work".
Here's what I came up with...

Now all we need to do is wait and see...
Will baby come home in this?

Or this?

What is your guess?

(PS - If you like this idea, similar items will be debuting @ jmdCREATE.com {threads} in the near future!! I'll keep you posted.)

Spring?!?

You might have heard me mention that we finally had spring weather...
I am now formally issuing an apology to all those who live around me (after receiving an additional foot of snow this weekend) - I'm truly sorry. I should never, ever have "spoken" those words aloud. Please, please forgive me!

We spent this weekend alternately marvelling at the weather, baking, playing inside, playing outside, de-junking & de-cluttering (my husband has a serious case of "nesting" going on)...

Here is our weekend in pictures :) We loved this final time together as a "family of three"...

We woke up to this...my first thoughts "Holy snow, Batman!" (I wasn't expecting to see quite so much white stuff)

Then we decided to make some pancakes for b-fast. B insisted on doing the mixing (w no help from momma = lumpy batter & mess all over the place...but priceless).

And then - the BEST part of the day! Later in the afternoon (it was starting to look and feel a little bit like spring again) Daddy & B head out for some serious puddle fun :)

 Splash, splash, splash! One happy, wet & finally cold little boy!

Hello, April!

Hello, April! I welcome you with open arms.
Hello to a change in our family in the coming week.
Hello to what finally feels like "spring" weather.
Hello to sunshine, snow melting and puddles.
Hello to a desire to actually get a picture I consider "worthy" (but no, I haven't got it yet...but the desire is there, lol).

On a side note - this is how I normally find the "little stink" in the morning...(although not sure where he got the sippy cup???) He crinkles his forehead and squints his eyes to tell me the light is very bright. He is growing up so fast and is such a little man, but yet still such a baby. This age is all about contradictions. I can't believe he is about to be a "big brother"!